


did you fall for a shooting star?

by kimwonpil



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 07:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19204630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimwonpil/pseuds/kimwonpil
Summary: Jungwoo had never believed in the true love of a soulmate, it seemed childish and naive to think that some predestined human was waiting for you somewhere out there. What power did the universe have over his emotions?Taeil was determined to help him think otherwise.





	did you fall for a shooting star?

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my contribution to the wooil tag, happy Taeil day everyone!!
> 
> Thank you to my girlfriend for giving me the idea and always being here with me when I was questioning whether it was good enough, I love you xx
> 
> (title is from drops of jupiter by train)

When stars align in just the right place, the universe is said to be at peace for a second, a small moment of harmony that made everything seem okay.

Jungwoo never believed that his moment would arrive.

He’d been through hell and back in the years of being on earth, his family constantly moving and never having a moment to breath or take stock. It wasn’t fair, Jungwoo’s mother had told his father time and time again; their family needed to settle down before they reached their breaking point.

After a terrible fight between the pair, Jungwoo saw the stars misalign for the first time. He stopped believing in soulmates soon after that.

In their world, soulmates were the people who completed you and all your emotions; his parents had found it too much to handle, they’d been together through thick and thin but both were hurting and both decided they needed to sever the thread of fate that bound their very souls. It was hard on all the family, but they knew it was for the best. Years passed and the stars never glowed quite as brightly, Jungwoo no longer paid them much attention.

 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

 

When Jungwoo turned eighteen he had been alone in the house he now only shared with his mother, the walls were bare and cardboard boxes lined the walls as a stark reminder that soulmates were flawed, that Jungwoo could end up just as ruined. Eighteen was the age that you started to feel, really _feel_ , getting to experience your soulmates greatest highs and their greatest lows. In turn, you would also feel theirs and finding your soulmate was a matter of discovering who felt the same way as you. It sounded amazing on paper but Jungwoo knew better.

“Happy Birthday to me…” Jungwoo whispered, biting into the small muffin he’d bought earlier, his mother had told him it was a waste of money - she didn’t remember his birthday anymore.

It seemed only days ago that he had been turning ten, the year all the kids in school started squealing at the mention of soulmates, running around and trying to guess who theirs might be. Jungwoo knew now that some of his friends had already found their soulmates: Johnny and Taeyong had realised soon after the younger had turned eighteen, Johnny had been so excited about celebrating the boy’s birthday that it had given it away almost immediately.

That day had been special, it made Jungwoo have hope once again even for a split second, but it had been short lived and the boy was back to resenting the thought of ever finding his soulmate. What if he had never met them before? What if they hated him? What if they thought he was weird or strange or too quiet or-

Jungwoo hadn’t even realised he had started crying until the quiet sobs had turned into heart wrenched bawling that hurt his chest and clouded his vision. What the boy had not yet realised was that someone, somewhere, was feeling everything as clearly as he was, crying along to the same tormented thoughts.

 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

 

When Jungwoo turned twenty-one nothing had changed. Many of his friends were still as happy as ever, too wrapped up in their soulmates to pay attention to Jungwoo who lived alone and isolated, feelings wrapped under a veneer of small smiles and quiet reassurances. He was okay, he was fine, nothing could be wrong even when he was drowning under workloads and piled up deadlines.

University hadn’t gone particularly to plan, Jungwoo’s mother had completely cut him off due to financial issues at home and her emotional distance from just about everything and everyone. It had only gotten worse when his grades started to slip, the anxiety creeping up from inside of him, he couldn’t perform in front of his peers and although he loved music so much, he was scared of what would happen if he wasn’t good enough.

Jungwoo hadn’t noticed how much he was sinking until his third year, when he had to leave his job due to stress, that was the first time he had cracked since his eighteenth birthday, allowing himself to cry, even just for a little while. His friends couldn’t pick up the pieces for him anymore, they were as busy as he was, Jungwoo realised he needed someone to balance him out a little, to help pay a few bills maybe. So he put up flyers on every dorm building noticeboard on campus, hoping and praying that someone would arrive.

That was when Taeil showed up.

Now, Jungwoo knew Taeil, _everyone_ knew about Moon Taeil. He wasn’t particularly loud or attention seeking but he did have a voice that everyone recognised the moment he stepped on a stage or stood in front of a mic at one of the many student bars. Taeil was the epitome of talent on earth in many people’s eyes, Jungwoo included. The fact that the infamous man was waiting on his doorstep after he’d rung the doorbell three times was still not sinking in. Jungwoo was petrified, literally. Doyoung was going to tease him about this later, he could foresee the elder laughing, wheezing at Jungwoo’s misfortune at having to spend time with his secret crush.

Taeil had talked to him a few times in passing, the man had helped him on multiple occasions when he couldn’t figure out how to work the recording studio. But Jungwoo had only ever given minimal answers in response, too in awe and too flustered to reply properly.

“Hello? Is anyone there? I’m here about the roommate thing, my old roommate left to study abroad and… Well… Yeah…” Taeil chuckled, snapping Jungwoo out of his reverie from where he was hovering only three feet away from the door. With a hop, skip and a jump, the boy opened the lock and gently pulled his door open, face probably a mess of pink and red hues. He pushed down every ounce of emotion he could, swallowing and opening his mouth to speak, but Taeil beat him to it.

“Oh my goodness, it is the Kim Jungwoo I thought it was! You’re from the music department too right, I think I helped out in your composition class last term?” Taeil sounded almost… Excited? Jungwoo thought, but didn’t want to mull over it because that would only lead to Jungwoo falling harder for the elder and Jungwoo with actual feelings? That was not on the table.

Whilst Jungwoo was experiencing some sort of inner conflict, Taeil had taken to poking his head properly into the apartment, humming approvingly at the layout and how tidy Jungwoo seem to be.

“So when can I move in?” Taeil asked without hesitation, Jungwoo spluttered, eyes wide as his heart leapt into his throat. Great, now he couldn’t speak or particularly breath and now he was anxious and he was definitely about to throw up-

“Hey oh my gosh are you alright?” Taeil’s voice suddenly seemed softer, more restrained and lilting, hand coming up to pat at Jungwoo’s shoulder. The boy flinched a little and brought his body in but didn’t shrug off the elder. It felt comforting, in a way.

“Y-You can uhm… You can move in whenever you’re ready. I really need the help to pay the rent and it would be nice to have a roommate.” Jungwoo’s voice perked up as he finished, smile creeping onto his lips as he chuckled softly, hand coming up to scratch at the back of his head. He couldn’t believe he had just done that, he’d spoken to Taeil. Take that Doyoung, Jungwoo thought as he clasped his hands together.

“Oh really! That’s great, I’ll go and get my stuff now, I was staying at a friend’s house across the street.” Taeil was still chirpy, but more subdued than when he had first exclaimed his excitement at the prospect of moving in. But that didn’t make it any easier to hear. Jungwoo nodded, hands clutching at the cords on his hoodie.

“I-I guess I’ll see you in a bit then, thanks for this, it means a lot.” Jungwoo spoke with a wistful tone, Taeil smiling brightly at him as he quietly shut the door, the stars had shifted closer then it seemed.

 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

 

Three months. It had taken three months for Taeil to realise what had been right in front of his eyes the whole time. He really had been stupid hadn’t he?

Jungwoo had been an angel of a roommate, he was smart and funny, he liked hugging more than he let on and he was a terrible cook which meant takeout or microwave meals most nights. Taeil couldn’t have asked for anyone better really, and yet the elder knew that Jungwoo was holding himself back, for whatever reason he hadn’t completely opened up yet. Reserved greetings and a lack of emotion when watching even the Lion King was enough to tip Taeil off.

The man had heard about people that didn’t want to find their soulmate and therefore kept every feeling under lock and key. Taeil just never thought that Jungwoo would be one of those people. He seemed to be always longing to be around someone, clung onto his friends and Taeil like he had no where else he’d rather be. It was only hours after finals when Taeil decided that he needed to say something, he didn’t want to suddenly blurt it out otherwise and make Jungwoo uncomfortable.

So he called an impromptu roommate meeting, promising fried chicken and ice cream for dessert, knowing Jungwoo would be won over by the food. The pair sat down not even an hour later, a mellow jazz piece - one of Taeil’s compositions - playing quietly in the background.

“Uhm, well… I guess I should ask what we’re doing here then? I mean, the food is nice and all, but we always go halves so something is definitely up.” Jungwoo left out a soft giggle and crossed his legs as he turned to face Taeil, the older not missing the way that his own cheeks flushed at Jungwoo’s smile, damn he really needed to take a leaf out of Jungwoo’s book. Keeping feelings under control would definitely save his dignity.

“What we’re doing here? Oh yeah… I have a few questions to ask-”

“Oh so mister Taeil is here to interview his next subject I see.” Jungwoo hummed and leaned back, arms folded across his chest as he narrowed his gaze at Taeil. The older scoffed and squinted back, lips forming a pout, he really couldn’t stand Jungwoo sometimes, in the nicest way possible of course.

“I was wondering why you don’t like showing your emotions? Don’t you want to find your soulmate?”

Great. Just great. Pat on the back for that one Moon Taeil.

After telling himself not to blurt anything out he of course had to go and say that. Jungwoo's lips were parted, face suddenly pale and Taeil could feel his own heart start to speed up, as if in tune with Jungwoo's inner worry. The elder reached forward but Jungwoo simply moved further away, hands raised to cover his face defensively.

It took a beat of silence before Taeil heard it, the sob bubbling out of Jungwoo's throat before he could stop it. Taeil's heart wrenched in that moment, feeling as if it had been squeezed out of chest and stomped on. He still didn't understand.

"Jungwoo, Woo… I'm really sorry." He whispered, voice strained and laced with sadness. For some reason he felt affected by the younger's tears, wanting to apologise again and again until the dull ache subsided within him.

"You can feel it, can't you…" Jungwoo's voice cracked, Taeil couldn't understand what he was talking about, shaking his head before realising that Jungwoo couldn't see him, muttering a small "I'm not sure."

"Here, you feel it here."

Jungwoo placed his hand over Taeil's chest, right over where his heart was as the ache began to grow, watching Jungwoo's tear stained face looking back at his own.

He understood and nodded. He understood now.

"I didn't want everything to go badly again Taeil… My parents- they… They didn't work out. Maybe it won't happen to me, but I didn't want to risk it, so I hid everything. But you, I think you changed that."

Taeil smiled, it was a simple gesture, but the smile that Jungwoo returned? That in turn was worth a million of his own and more. The elder wiped Jungwoo's tears and brought him closer, hugging him with unfiltered love and intimacy that Jungwoo could feel tears of a different kind welling up in his eyes.

Maybe they could be closer, the stars above watching them with new found curiosity.

 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

 

“So…” Taeil began with a chuckle, hands covering Jungwoo’s eyes as he had to stand on his tiptoes from behind the taller male.

“Taeil tell me where we’re going or I’ll step on your toes!” Jungwoo huffed, stomping his feet as a warning but his boyfriend only found it endearing. They had been walking for a good five minutes like this, pace slow and a little clumsy but Taeil had to make sure this was definitely a surprise. He’d planned this for what felt like months when in actual fact it had been a speedy meet up two days ago to consult everything with Doyoung, Johnny and Taeyong.

“I think we’re almost here Woo.” Taeil chuckled, stopping his strides and bringing Jungwoo closer to him so he could hook his chin over the younger’s shoulder.

“Open your eyes sweetheart.” He whispered, taking his hands away and stifling his laughter as Jungwoo frowned, turning back to Taeil with narrowed eyes.

“This is out apartment door Taeil.”

“Open the door, doofus.”

Jungwoo did as he was told, instantly gasping at the sight that greeted him. Hundreds of fairy lights in the shape of stars were strung across every surface, twinkling dimly and guiding the pair into the living room where there was a small teal box on the coffee table, adorned with the biggest ribbon Jungwoo had ever seen.

“Happy Birthday Jungwoo.” Taeil whispered and brought the younger to sit down, arms wrapped around his waist tightly as he saw Jungwoo tearing up from the gesture.

“You did all of this… For me?”

“Of course I did Woo, you’re the most precious thing that has happened to me, it was the least I could do for you.”

Shaking hands took the box from the table, Jungwoo unwrapping it to reveal a necklace, a thin gold chain with two charms, silver stars that shone in the dim room, staring right back at the pair.

“I love you Taeil, I really really love you.” Jungwoo breathed out, pulling Taeil closer into the hug and burying his face away as the elder’s hand caressed his back gently, lips placing a soft kiss to his head.

“I love you more Jungwoo and I’ll love you forever.” He promised quietly, smile brighter than the sun at noon.

It appeared that the stars had finally aligned, Jungwoo had found his peace in the vast cosmos. Harmony had, at long last, begun.

 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　fin　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

**Author's Note:**

> i have [twitter](https://twitter.com/prince_jungwoo) and am lonely :') but i hope you enjoyed the fic!!


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